Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
1. An electronic system configured to display a three-dimensional simulation scenario; said electronic system comprising: electronic processing means configured to generate a three-dimensional simulation scenario that includes a moving vehicle represented in a three-dimensional graphic format and movable in a three-dimensional virtual graphic space of the three-dimensional simulation scenario on the basis of displacement commands input by a user or contained in a simulation program; display means configured to display said three-dimensional simulation scenario; a virtual video camera associated with a camera point of a displacement plane, which is located within said three-dimensional simulation scenario; said camera point indicating a position of the virtual video camera on the displacement plane; said virtual video camera having a pointing axis crossing said camera point, and being designed to rotate together with the pointing axis about a pre-set axis of rotation, which crosses said camera point and is located orthogonal to the displacement plane; a pointer associated with a dragging point indicating the position of the pointer on the displacement plane; control means configured to move said pointer on the displacement plane in response to a manual action of a user, the control means being configured to position and move said pointer independently of position and/or movement of the moving vehicle within the three-dimensional virtual graphic space; processing means configured to translate said axis of rotation, keeping it parallel to itself, in said displacement plane and, at the same time, rotate said pointing axis of said virtual video camera about said axis of rotation so as to obtain a roto-translation of said virtual video camera, in response to a translation of said pointer in said displacement plane; wherein: said control means are configured to enable a user to place the pointer on the displacement plane so that the dragging point is located at an initial distance from said camera point; said processing means are further configured to: determine a straight line lying in said displacement plane and crossing said camera point and said dragging point; determine an initial angle between the pointing axis of the virtual video camera and the straight line; and during a movement of the pointer in said displacement plane, translate the axis of rotation keeping the axis of rotation parallel to itself in said displacement plane and, at the same time, rotate said pointing axis of the virtual video camera about said axis of rotation so that: the distance between said camera point and said dragging point is maintained constant at a constant value which is equal to the initial distance; and the angle between the pointing axis of the virtual video camera and a straight line is maintained at a constant value which is equal to the initial angle.
2. The electronic system according to claim 1 , wherein said virtual video camera is designed to acquire images through a virtual observation window set orthogonal to said pointing axis; said virtual observation window being stably constrained to said pointing axis to rotate about said axis of rotation together with the pointing axis itself as a function of the translation of said pointer in said displacement plane.
3. The electronic system according to claim 1 , wherein said processing means are configured to: determine, in a first calculation instant (t i ), said first straight line that lies in said displacement plane and passes through a first camera point position at instant (t i ) and a first dragging point position at instant (t i ); and determine, during translation of said pointer between the first dragging point position assumed in said first instant (t i ) and a second dragging point position assumed in a second instant (t i+1 ), a second straight line, which lies in said displacement plane, crosses through said second dragging point position and intersects said first straight line in a point of intersection having said initial distance from said first camera point position; assign the position of said point of intersection to said second camera point position in said second instant (t i+1 ); and displace said virtual video camera into said point of intersection.
4. The electronic system according to claim 1 , wherein said display means are designed to display a control area, which is divided into three distinct control portions, wherein each control portion is associated with a respective function for controlling translation and/or rotation of said virtual video camera.
5. The electronic system according to claim 4 , wherein said processing means are configured to activate a function for controlling the movement of the pointing axis of said virtual video camera on the basis of the position of the pointer within said control portions.
6. The system according to claim 5 , wherein said control area is divided into: a first control portion corresponding to said camera point; a second control portion comprising an annulus centred in said camera point; and a third control portion comprising an annulus external to said second control portion and centred in said camera point.
7. The system according to claim 6 , wherein said processing means are configured to select a function of translation of said pointing axis in the displacement plane in response to a positioning of said pointer in said first control portion.
8. The system according to claim 6 , wherein said processing means are configured to select a function of rotation of said pointing axis in said displacement plane about said axis of rotation in response to a positioning, selection, and displacement of said pointer within said second control portion.
9. The system according to claim 6 , wherein said processing means are configured to translate said pointing axis in said displacement plane and at the same time rotate said pointing axis about said axis of rotation in response to a positioning of said pointer within said third control portion.
10. The system according to claim 1 , wherein said control means comprise a pointing device designed to generate a control signal in response to a manual displacement by the user; said processing means being configured for displacing said pointer in said displacement plane on the basis of said control signal.
11. The system according to claim 10 , wherein said pointing device comprises a mouse, and/or a joystick, and/or trackballs.
12. The system according to claim 10 , wherein said pointing device comprises a screen provided with a touch-sensitive surface, and an electronic touch-detection module, capable of generating said control signal as a function of the position of touch by a user on said touch-sensitive surface.
13. The system according to claim 12 , wherein said display means comprise said touch-sensitive surface.
14. The system according to claim 2 , wherein said processing means are configured for displaying, instant by instant, through said display means the images acquired through said virtual observation window by said virtual video camera.
15. A computer implemented method for displaying a three-dimensional simulation scenario comprising the steps of: (a) generating a three-dimensional simulation scenario that includes a moving vehicle represented in a three-dimensional graphic format and movable in a three-dimensional virtual graphic space of the three-dimensional simulation scenario on the basis of displacement commands input by a user or contained in a simulation program; (b) displaying said three-dimensional simulation scenario to a user, through display means; (c) arranging a virtual video camera on a camera point of a displacement plane which is located within said three-dimensional simulation scenario; said camera point indicating a position of the virtual video camera on the displacement plane; said virtual video camera having a pointing axis crossing the camera point; said virtual video camera being further configured to rotate together with the pointing axis about a pre-set axis of rotation, which crosses said camera point and is located orthogonal to the displacement plane; (d) arranging a pointer in said displacement plane, said pointer being associated with a dragging point indicating the position of the pointer on the displacement plane; (e) moving said pointer in said displacement plane in response to a manual action of said user; (f) translating said axis of rotation, keeping it parallel to itself, in said displacement plane and, at the same time, rotating said pointing axis of said virtual video camera about said axis of rotation so as to obtain a roto-translation of said virtual video camera, in response to a translation of said pointer in said displacement plane; (g) positioning said pointer on said displacement plane so that the dragging point is located at an initial distance from said camera point; (h) determining a straight line lying in said displacement plane and crossing said camera point and said dragging point; (i) determining an initial angle between the pointing axis of the virtual video camera and the straight line; and, (j) during a movement of the pointer in said displacement plane, translating said axis of rotation and, at the same time, rotating said pointing axis of the virtual video camera about said axis of rotation so that: the distance between said camera point and said dragging point is maintained at a constant value which is equal to the initial distance; and the angle between the pointing axis of the virtual video camera and the straight line is maintained at a constant value which is equal to the initial angle; wherein steps (d) and (e) cause said pointer to be positioned and moved independently of position and/or movement of the moving vehicle within the three-dimensional virtual graphic space.
16. The method according to claim 15 , comprising the step of acquiring by said virtual video camera images through a virtual observation window set orthogonal to said pointing axis; said virtual observation window being stably constrained to said pointing axis to rotate about said axis of rotation together with the pointing axis itself as a function of the translation of said pointer in said displacement plane.
17. The method according to claim 15 , comprising the steps of: determining, in a first calculation instant (t i ) said first straight line lying in said displacement plane and passing through a first camera point position and said a first dragging point position; and determining, during translation of said pointer between the first camera point position assumed in said first instant (t i ) and a second camera point position assumed in a second instant (t i+1 ), a second straight line that lies in said displacement plane, passes through said second dragging point position and intersects said first straight line in a point of intersection having said initial distance from said first camera point position; assigning the position of said point of intersection to said second camera point position in said second instant (t i+1 ); and moving said virtual video camera into said point of intersection.
18. The method according to claim 15 , comprising the step of displaying, through said display means, a control area, which is divided into three control portions, wherein each control portion is associated to a respective function for controlling translation and/or rotation of said virtual video camera.
19. The method according to claim 18 , comprising the step of activating a function for controlling the movement of the pointing axis of said virtual video camera on the basis of the position of said pointer within said control portions.
20. The method according to claim 19 , wherein said control area is divided into: a first control portion corresponding to said camera point; a second control portion comprising an annulus centred in said camera point; and a third control portion comprising an annulus external to said second control portion and centred in said camera point.
21. The method according to claim 20 , comprising the step of selecting a function of translation of said pointing axis in the displacement plane in response to a positioning of said pointer in said first control portion.
22. The method according to claim 20 , comprising the step of selecting a function of rotation of said pointing axis in said displacement plane about said axis of rotation in response to a positioning, selection, and displacement of said pointer within said second control portion.
23. The method according to claim 20 , comprising the step of translating said pointing axis in said displacement plane and rotating at the same time said pointing axis about said axis of rotation, in response to a positioning of said pointer within said third control portion.
Unknown
July 15, 2014
Browse 5M+ US patents with plain-English claim translations and AI-generated analysis.